Call for Action 5th Edition…Ethiopia: One Love Many Voices.
Executive Summary
I am calling for formation of independent civic group to directly engaging with multiple levers of power and decision making in Ethiopia. Why? Public pressure for democratization and democratic reform must be placed on the various pockets of power.
What is Call for action. Ethiopia: One Love Many Voices? This is a public engagement campaign to Invite you to actively participate in meaningful activities that advance the democratic reform in Ethiopia; While acknowledging a common purpose with multiple players who engage in divergent approaches.
What do we need to do to bring about the desired democratic reform in Ethiopia? There is very little that PM Abiy can do alone. Only in movie land, we see a superman character performing all kinds of unbelievably miraculous acts. For those who believe PM Abiy is a superman character, we need to have a different kind of conversation. PM Abiy is a very gifted human being who can make a big difference in the Ethiopian journey toward a positive democratic reform. I am willing to grant PM Abiy an early honor of the Most Valuable Player (MVP) on the field among other players. As an MVP, PM Abiy needs other impact players, assist players and a very good fan base to help him succeed as a quarterback of the democratic reform in Ethiopia.
Introduction
The newly minted PM Abiy Ahmed has raised a positive hope among many Ethiopians. Many more are asking: (1) does the PM have real authority? (2) Does the PM act independently or is he is being manipulated by malicious & anti reform handlers? (3) Is PM Abiy’s message of hope, Love, and togetherness, the central role of his position? (4) Should PM Abiy redirect his attention to more actions of freeing political prisoners, lifting the state of emergency and meaningfully engaging with the political competitors?
I believe these questions and concerns are legitimate and have merits worth seriously considering.
Do those who argue the PM is on the right track VS those who argue he is on the wrong track have anything in common? I believe both sides agree with PM Abiy’s vision of free, united, peaceful and prosperous Ethiopia. I believe most people support the good intentions, philosophy and tone of PM Abiy. More importantly, the overwhelming majority of Ethiopians want to see PM Abiy to succeed as a democratic reformer.
I want to focus my attention of this call for action to:
what we can do to help PM Abiy succeed?
What you can do to help PM Abiy succeed?
What I can do to help PM Abiy succeed?
Why does what we do matter? Relying on one person to bring about the change we are all seeking is not a realistic or a reasonable expectation. What we all do matters to bring about the positive democratic reform we all want to see in Ethiopia.
Let me take you on a brief journey of personal story to make a point. Five years ago at Christmas, my family hosted two out of town guests: my niece Mininu was visiting with us from the United Kingdom and my other niece Derartu was visiting from Alabama. Both nieces were spending the entire holiday season with us. Upon the arrival of the two guests, I had a breakthrough idea of the 2 nieces + my wife Jenny + my daughter Elshadai + myself to collaborate and write a best seller children’s book, which I believed would turn into a movie script. why did I have that dream instead of simply enjoying the time together as a family? Well, I guess I am just wired to be a man of action and strongly felt like the diversity of our experiences would yield a beautiful and a very interesting children’s book and a fantastic movie? Guess what? Everyone was fascinated by the idea but no one was willing to commit. After trying and nagging them for couple of nights. I gave up my fantasy idea. What is my point here and how does this relate to PM Abiy and the current public appetite for reform in Ethiopia? Bringing about change in a small family and bringing about change in a country have one thing in common. Unless you are using dictatorial force, change requires agreements and willing engagements. I hope you see the point.
There is no substitute for an excited and a very determined and a highly energized public engagement to bring about a desired change and democratic reform in Ethiopia.
Then, what do we need and what do we need to do to bring about the desired change and reform in Ethiopia?
Here are my top 4 actions in my call for action to help PM Abiy succeed and to bring about the positive change and democratic reform in Ethiopia.
Call for Action of the Week
Action #1: Directly Engage with multiple levers of power and decision making in Ethiopia with an intent to listen, learn, influence and gain support for the popular reform. I am calling for formation of independent civic group to directly engaging with multiple levers of power and decision making in Ethiopia. Why? Public pressure for democratization and democratic reforms must be placed on the various pockets of power. These levers of power and decision making include: the parliament, the command post, the courts, the official ethiopian state media network, the ethiopian embassies, anti-reform stakeholders, anti reform media networks and others. Please refrain from grossly demonizing those you do not agree with. Engaging instead of avoiding with the opponents of the reform can build a good bridge of understanding and collaboration. Discussions that are focused on the vision for the future of Ethiopia can lead to a consensus and a common ground. There is a need for creating an independent stakeholder engagement group.
Action #2: Engage in an activity of your choice that will advance your dream for Ethiopia. This may include leading a worthy activity or joining one. For example, my wife and I will soon be hosting the first of many breakfast clubs in support of the global alliance for the rights of Ethiopians. As you engage in an activity of your choice, please say only nice things about choices of others and refrain from criticizing good faith efforts of others. Please only give advise when your opinion is sought.
Action # 3: our discussions must first focus more on our imagined future state of Ethiopia. What kind of Ethiopia do I like to see in the future? For example, Iimagine an Ethiopia that is a breeding ground for inventors and creators who develop innovative solutions that improve the quality of life of the citizens of our Ethiopia and the citizens of our world. I imagine an Ethiopia where there are no political prisoners. No one is killed or harassed or displaced due to their political views. why is a discussion focused on our imagined vision more important than debating tactics? Discussions of a vision first foster unity and generate positive energy to be able to agree on the tactics we need to adopt to win.
Action #4: We need to encourage and support our visionary leaders. We need a core of visionary leaders who can imagine and communicate the Ethiopia we want to see in the future. I believe the likes of PM Abiy Ahmed, the Amhara Regional State President Gedu Andargachew and Oromia Regional State President Lemma Megersa are among the core group of visionary leaders. Does our support and encouragement make a difference? You bet it does. If your favorite team is playing for a national championship game, loudly cheering and chanting for your Team is a no brainer. Booing and criticizing your championship team does not yield the desired results. It will produce the opposite result. Yes, locker room coaching and strategizing to win the championship is what is needed. This is how championships are won.
Concluding Remarks
I am calling for formation of independent civic group to directly engaging with multiple levers of power and decision making in Ethiopia. Why? Public pressure for democratization and democratic reform must be placed on the various pockets of power.
What do we need to do to bring about the desired changes and democratic reform in Ethiopia? There is very little PM Abiy can do alone. PM Abiy is a very gifted human being who can make a big difference in the Ethiopian journey toward a positive democratic reform. I am willing to grant PM Abiy an early honor of the Most Valuable Player (MVP) on the field among other players. As an MVP, PM Abiy needs other impact players, assist players and a very good fan base to help him succeed as a democratic reformer.
You may send comments about the call for action campaign to Gabe Hamda by email at [email protected] Your inputs will be incorporated in the next edition of call for action in support of the democratic reform underway in Ethiopia.
